The Virgilian centos, in which authors reconnect discrete lines taken from Virgil's Eclogues, Georgics, and Aeneid to create new poems, are some of the most striking texts to survive from antiquity. ...
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The Virgilian centos, in which authors reconnect discrete lines taken from Virgil's Eclogues, Georgics, and Aeneid to create new poems, are some of the most striking texts to survive from antiquity. This book examines the twelve mythological and secular examples, which probably date from c.200-c.530. While verbal games, the centos deserve to be taken seriously for what they disclose about Virgil's reception, late-antique literary culture, and other important historical and theoretical topics in literary criticism. As radically intertextual works, the centos are particularly valuable sites for investigating topics in allusion studies: when can and should audiences read texts allusively? What is the role of the author and the reader in creating allusions? How does one determine the functions of allusions? This book explores these and other questions, and in the process comes into dialogue with major critical issues.Less

Virgil Recomposed : The Mythological and Secular Centos in Antiquity

Scott McGill

Published in print: 2005-08-18

The Virgilian centos, in which authors reconnect discrete lines taken from Virgil's Eclogues, Georgics, and Aeneid to create new poems, are some of the most striking texts to survive from antiquity. This book examines the twelve mythological and secular examples, which probably date from c.200-c.530. While verbal games, the centos deserve to be taken seriously for what they disclose about Virgil's reception, late-antique literary culture, and other important historical and theoretical topics in literary criticism. As radically intertextual works, the centos are particularly valuable sites for investigating topics in allusion studies: when can and should audiences read texts allusively? What is the role of the author and the reader in creating allusions? How does one determine the functions of allusions? This book explores these and other questions, and in the process comes into dialogue with major critical issues.

This book has sought to cast light upon the ancient Virgilian centos, texts that have met with limited critical attention, particularly in the Anglophone world. While always remaining cognizant of ...
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This book has sought to cast light upon the ancient Virgilian centos, texts that have met with limited critical attention, particularly in the Anglophone world. While always remaining cognizant of the centos' strangeness, which indeed is a sine qua non of interpreting them, the study has taken them seriously as legitimate objects of critical inquiry. Primary among the historical and literary topics examined in the book is allusion. The aim has been to explore how one can read the allusiveness of the individual centos, and in the process to investigate broader issues in the field of allusion studies.Less

Conclusion

Scott McGill

Published in print: 2005-08-18

This book has sought to cast light upon the ancient Virgilian centos, texts that have met with limited critical attention, particularly in the Anglophone world. While always remaining cognizant of the centos' strangeness, which indeed is a sine qua non of interpreting them, the study has taken them seriously as legitimate objects of critical inquiry. Primary among the historical and literary topics examined in the book is allusion. The aim has been to explore how one can read the allusiveness of the individual centos, and in the process to investigate broader issues in the field of allusion studies.

Of the three major narrators, Moroni is the most likely to use phrases previously employed by other Book of Mormon writers. Actually, as he brings the book to an end, Moroni provides three separate ...
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Of the three major narrators, Moroni is the most likely to use phrases previously employed by other Book of Mormon writers. Actually, as he brings the book to an end, Moroni provides three separate conclusions. In the first he alludes to the words of Joseph of Egypt (as reported in the Nephite record), and then to Nephi's paraphrase of Joseph's words, and then to the writings of his father Mormon. The second conclusion, at Ether 12, offers a Nephite adaptation of Hebrews 11, somewhat anachronistically. And Moroni's final conclusion, the last chapter of the Book of Mormon, is a virtual curtain call which alludes to the farewell addresses of several of the earlier record keepers.Less

Strategies of Conclusion : Allusion

Grant Hardy

Published in print: 2010-03-10

Of the three major narrators, Moroni is the most likely to use phrases previously employed by other Book of Mormon writers. Actually, as he brings the book to an end, Moroni provides three separate conclusions. In the first he alludes to the words of Joseph of Egypt (as reported in the Nephite record), and then to Nephi's paraphrase of Joseph's words, and then to the writings of his father Mormon. The second conclusion, at Ether 12, offers a Nephite adaptation of Hebrews 11, somewhat anachronistically. And Moroni's final conclusion, the last chapter of the Book of Mormon, is a virtual curtain call which alludes to the farewell addresses of several of the earlier record keepers.

Several places in the text of the Gospel of Mary have parallels to traditions and/or sayings which appear in texts which (later) formed part of the ‘New Testament’. Some of these parallels are at the ...
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Several places in the text of the Gospel of Mary have parallels to traditions and/or sayings which appear in texts which (later) formed part of the ‘New Testament’. Some of these parallels are at the level of significant words or phrases, while others are at the level of broader thematic parallels (or in some cases almost ‘anti-parallels’, i.e., showing significant differences from, as well as similarities to, the New Testament). This chapter addresses the question of whether the similarities and parallels in wording indicate any kind of dependence of the Gospel of Mary on New Testament texts, and, so, whether we can be any more precise about the source(s) of the language used in the Gospel of Mary. The parallels between the Gospel of Mary and New Testament texts may be divided into three groups: (1) parallels that appear to be clear ‘echoes’ or ‘allusions’ to New Testament passages; (2) parallels that are less close, and are not so clearly ‘echoes’ of New Testament passages; (3) more general thematic parallels. The nature of the parallels that seem to exist, and the fact that some of the parallels involve at times redactional elements on the side of the (later to become) canonical texts suggests that the Gospel of Mary is primarily a witness to the later, developing tradition generated by these texts, and does not provide independent witness to early Jesus tradition itself.Less

The Gospel of Mary and the New Testament

Christopher Tuckett

Published in print: 2007-08-23

Several places in the text of the Gospel of Mary have parallels to traditions and/or sayings which appear in texts which (later) formed part of the ‘New Testament’. Some of these parallels are at the level of significant words or phrases, while others are at the level of broader thematic parallels (or in some cases almost ‘anti-parallels’, i.e., showing significant differences from, as well as similarities to, the New Testament). This chapter addresses the question of whether the similarities and parallels in wording indicate any kind of dependence of the Gospel of Mary on New Testament texts, and, so, whether we can be any more precise about the source(s) of the language used in the Gospel of Mary. The parallels between the Gospel of Mary and New Testament texts may be divided into three groups: (1) parallels that appear to be clear ‘echoes’ or ‘allusions’ to New Testament passages; (2) parallels that are less close, and are not so clearly ‘echoes’ of New Testament passages; (3) more general thematic parallels. The nature of the parallels that seem to exist, and the fact that some of the parallels involve at times redactional elements on the side of the (later to become) canonical texts suggests that the Gospel of Mary is primarily a witness to the later, developing tradition generated by these texts, and does not provide independent witness to early Jesus tradition itself.

This is a full-length study of Jeanette Winterson's work as a whole, containing in-depth analyses of her eight novels and cross-references to her minor fictional and non-fictional works. It ...
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This is a full-length study of Jeanette Winterson's work as a whole, containing in-depth analyses of her eight novels and cross-references to her minor fictional and non-fictional works. It establishes the formal, thematic and ideological characteristics of the novels, and situates the writer within the general panorama of contemporary British fiction. Earlier critics usually approached Winterson exclusively either as a key lesbian novelist, or as a heavily experimental and ‘arty’ writer, whose works are unnecessarily difficult and meaningless. By contrast, this book provides a comprehensive, ‘vertical’ analysis of the novels. It combines the study of formal issues – such as narrative structure, point of view, perspective and the handling of narrative and story time – with the thematic analysis of character types, recurrent topoi, intertextual and generic allusions, etc., focused from various analytical perspectives: narratology, lesbian and feminist theory (especially Cixous and Kristeva), Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, Jungian archetypal criticism, Tarot, Hermetic and Kabalistic symbolism, myth criticism, Newtonian and Post-Newtonian Physics, etc. Novels that read superficially, or appear simple and realistic, are revealed as complex linguistic artifacts with a convoluted structure and clogged with intertextual echoes of earlier writers and works. The conclusions show the inseparability of form and meaning (for example, the fact that all the novels have a spiralling structure reflects the depiction of self as fluid and of the world as a multiverse) and place Winterson within the trend of postmodernist British writers with a visionary outlook on art, such as Maureen Duffy, Marina Warner or Peter Ackroyd.Less

Jeanette Winterson

Susana Onega

Published in print: 2006-06-30

This is a full-length study of Jeanette Winterson's work as a whole, containing in-depth analyses of her eight novels and cross-references to her minor fictional and non-fictional works. It establishes the formal, thematic and ideological characteristics of the novels, and situates the writer within the general panorama of contemporary British fiction. Earlier critics usually approached Winterson exclusively either as a key lesbian novelist, or as a heavily experimental and ‘arty’ writer, whose works are unnecessarily difficult and meaningless. By contrast, this book provides a comprehensive, ‘vertical’ analysis of the novels. It combines the study of formal issues – such as narrative structure, point of view, perspective and the handling of narrative and story time – with the thematic analysis of character types, recurrent topoi, intertextual and generic allusions, etc., focused from various analytical perspectives: narratology, lesbian and feminist theory (especially Cixous and Kristeva), Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, Jungian archetypal criticism, Tarot, Hermetic and Kabalistic symbolism, myth criticism, Newtonian and Post-Newtonian Physics, etc. Novels that read superficially, or appear simple and realistic, are revealed as complex linguistic artifacts with a convoluted structure and clogged with intertextual echoes of earlier writers and works. The conclusions show the inseparability of form and meaning (for example, the fact that all the novels have a spiralling structure reflects the depiction of self as fluid and of the world as a multiverse) and place Winterson within the trend of postmodernist British writers with a visionary outlook on art, such as Maureen Duffy, Marina Warner or Peter Ackroyd.

Similarities and verbal allusions that link the letters of Nicias in Thucydides (7.11-15) and Pompey in Sallust (Hist. 2.98M) prompt a comparison of the two men and their situations; but the ...
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Similarities and verbal allusions that link the letters of Nicias in Thucydides (7.11-15) and Pompey in Sallust (Hist. 2.98M) prompt a comparison of the two men and their situations; but the contrasts that emerge from this comparison also invite the reader to observe how different the men were, and then to read through these differences to note the similarities between Pompey and Nicias's rival Alcibiades, who turned against his own city. The subsequent comparison of the recipients of the letters and their responses — Athenian democrats and Roman senators — shows a contrast even more extreme, for the former were united, strong, and public-spirited; the latter fracturing, weak, and self-centred. The contrasts that finally emerge from both comparisons suggest a fundamental parallel intended by both authors: the impending death of language, descent into ferocious action, and doom of civil war for both polities.Less

Allusion and Contrast in the Letters of Nicias (Thuc. 7.11–15) and Pompey (Sall. Hist. 2.98M)

Elizabeth A. Meyer

Published in print: 2010-04-27

Similarities and verbal allusions that link the letters of Nicias in Thucydides (7.11-15) and Pompey in Sallust (Hist. 2.98M) prompt a comparison of the two men and their situations; but the contrasts that emerge from this comparison also invite the reader to observe how different the men were, and then to read through these differences to note the similarities between Pompey and Nicias's rival Alcibiades, who turned against his own city. The subsequent comparison of the recipients of the letters and their responses — Athenian democrats and Roman senators — shows a contrast even more extreme, for the former were united, strong, and public-spirited; the latter fracturing, weak, and self-centred. The contrasts that finally emerge from both comparisons suggest a fundamental parallel intended by both authors: the impending death of language, descent into ferocious action, and doom of civil war for both polities.

There is a long-standing controversy over how far Tacitus's Annals drew on the work of the Augustan historian Pompeius Trogus. Various parallels in language have been observed, but this may be the ...
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There is a long-standing controversy over how far Tacitus's Annals drew on the work of the Augustan historian Pompeius Trogus. Various parallels in language have been observed, but this may be the result of Trogus's epitomator Justin imitating Tacitus rather than of Tacitus imitating Trogus. This chapter argues that where there is a congruence of theme, especially when allied to linguistic parallels, there are strong reasons for seeing allusions to Trogus by Tacitus. It argues further that Tacitus, while drawing on Trogus, also reworks his ideas in an ironic and critical way, seeing (for example) Augustus as a perverted recreation of Trogus' idealized primitive monarchs, or Tiberius as the embodiment of Trogus' suggestion that the true threat to the Roman empire is from within itself.Less

Pompeius Trogus in Tacitus' Annals

David Levene

Published in print: 2010-04-27

There is a long-standing controversy over how far Tacitus's Annals drew on the work of the Augustan historian Pompeius Trogus. Various parallels in language have been observed, but this may be the result of Trogus's epitomator Justin imitating Tacitus rather than of Tacitus imitating Trogus. This chapter argues that where there is a congruence of theme, especially when allied to linguistic parallels, there are strong reasons for seeing allusions to Trogus by Tacitus. It argues further that Tacitus, while drawing on Trogus, also reworks his ideas in an ironic and critical way, seeing (for example) Augustus as a perverted recreation of Trogus' idealized primitive monarchs, or Tiberius as the embodiment of Trogus' suggestion that the true threat to the Roman empire is from within itself.

The Conclusion aims to summarize what has emerged from the close reading of particular genres and plays in the earlier chapters, and to examine several broader issues which arise from the ...
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The Conclusion aims to summarize what has emerged from the close reading of particular genres and plays in the earlier chapters, and to examine several broader issues which arise from the relationship between tragedy and lyric. It begins by summarizing the techniques which tragic poets used to evoke lyric genre, and argues that the tragedians aimed to keep these allusions accessible to as large a section of the audience as possible. It goes on to discuss the functions that generic interaction can perform: in particular, the creation of a sense of mismatch between the values implicit in the genre and what the audience sees in the play. Finally it explores what the phenomenon of generic interaction can tell us about tragedy as a poetic genre and its role in Athenian musical culture.Less

Conclusion

L. A. Swift

Published in print: 2010-01-07

The Conclusion aims to summarize what has emerged from the close reading of particular genres and plays in the earlier chapters, and to examine several broader issues which arise from the relationship between tragedy and lyric. It begins by summarizing the techniques which tragic poets used to evoke lyric genre, and argues that the tragedians aimed to keep these allusions accessible to as large a section of the audience as possible. It goes on to discuss the functions that generic interaction can perform: in particular, the creation of a sense of mismatch between the values implicit in the genre and what the audience sees in the play. Finally it explores what the phenomenon of generic interaction can tell us about tragedy as a poetic genre and its role in Athenian musical culture.

This chapter explores the web of intra-textual allusion that connects the most diverse of Berggol′ts's works. The intensely self-referential nature of her writing, particularly after the Second World ...
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This chapter explores the web of intra-textual allusion that connects the most diverse of Berggol′ts's works. The intensely self-referential nature of her writing, particularly after the Second World War, suggests that the poet's creative response to contradictions she could not resolve was to embark on a continuing and open-ended process of self-refashioning, striving towards but never achieving wholeness. Berggol′ts's writing on the Leningrad siege is situated within the context of her work as a whole, rather than being analysed in isolation. This close study of the work of a single author will, it is hoped, provoke readers whose interests include Russian poetry, the literary history of the Soviet period, other ‘official’ writers in the Stalin era, and women's writing into reassessing the cultural heritage of an era that can seem remote and impenetrable.Less

Writing memory: intertextuality and intra-textuality

Katharine Hodgson

Published in print: 2003-11-06

This chapter explores the web of intra-textual allusion that connects the most diverse of Berggol′ts's works. The intensely self-referential nature of her writing, particularly after the Second World War, suggests that the poet's creative response to contradictions she could not resolve was to embark on a continuing and open-ended process of self-refashioning, striving towards but never achieving wholeness. Berggol′ts's writing on the Leningrad siege is situated within the context of her work as a whole, rather than being analysed in isolation. This close study of the work of a single author will, it is hoped, provoke readers whose interests include Russian poetry, the literary history of the Soviet period, other ‘official’ writers in the Stalin era, and women's writing into reassessing the cultural heritage of an era that can seem remote and impenetrable.

This chapter assembles evidence for the ‘British empire’ created by the usurpation of Carausius, which lasted from AD 286 to 293; his overthrow by his lieutenant Allectus; and the latter’s rule from ...
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This chapter assembles evidence for the ‘British empire’ created by the usurpation of Carausius, which lasted from AD 286 to 293; his overthrow by his lieutenant Allectus; and the latter’s rule from 293 to 296. For both men, the questions of their origin and previous career are analysed. In the case of Allectus, it is argued that he was not rationalis summae rei (finance minister) of Carausius, but probably prefect of the guard. This is followed by an account of the recovery of Britain by the Caesar Constantius I. The literary sources and the single inscription of Carausius are cited in full, with translations and particular attention paid to the coinage of the two usurpers. On Carausius’ coins, several references to Virgil can now be identified.Less

Carausius and Allectus, 286–296

Anthony R. Birley

Published in print: 2005-09-29

This chapter assembles evidence for the ‘British empire’ created by the usurpation of Carausius, which lasted from AD 286 to 293; his overthrow by his lieutenant Allectus; and the latter’s rule from 293 to 296. For both men, the questions of their origin and previous career are analysed. In the case of Allectus, it is argued that he was not rationalis summae rei (finance minister) of Carausius, but probably prefect of the guard. This is followed by an account of the recovery of Britain by the Caesar Constantius I. The literary sources and the single inscription of Carausius are cited in full, with translations and particular attention paid to the coinage of the two usurpers. On Carausius’ coins, several references to Virgil can now be identified.